Motor-vehicle.



PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

f www .LL www J.. OHS PED VE u F/ Mahr .MNM Hm Mm I L P P A UNITED STATES PATENT oEE1oE.

HARRY M. POPE, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

` MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Original application liled October 23, 1899, Serial No. 734,420. Divided and this application filed September l0, 1903.

Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY M. POPE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicopee Falls, county of Hampden, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to the running gear frames of motor vehicles, the present application being a division of an application led October 23, 1899 and-serially numbered 734,420 for improvements in motor vehicles. The conditions of 'use of such vehicles impose requirements of construction quite different from those which have vt0 be met in draft vehicles. The weight of the motor and driving mechanism must be properly supported and should be supported independently of the body of the vehicle or that portion upon which the occupants arevseated. The motor, driving mechanism or connections and driving wheels should also be supported and connected by a rigid, unyielding frame which will maintain exact alinement of the parts under all conditions. At the same time the four wheels of the vehicle must be capable of adapting themselves to a' warped or uneven road surface and as the steering wheels are mounted independently upon a relatively fixed axle which stands always in a vertical plane sube stantially parallel with a vertical plane which includes the axis of the driving wheels, there must be such a connection between that part of the frame which supports the motor and driving wheels and the other part as will permit of a relative displacement of such axle and axis in such parallel vertical planes in order that the wheels may accommodate' themselves to an uneven road surface. This connection should also be of such character as to absorb to some extent the vibrations of that portion of the frame which supports the steering wheels or should at least prevent their trans mission to the other part of the frame, while it should not be a loose connection such as would allow wear and permit rattling. The axle of the driving wheels in particular should also be braced so as to resist strains in a horizontal' direction. In the present case it has been sought to devise a form of running gear frame which shall meet these several requirements while capable of modification in form and arrangement to meet different requirements of use.

In the drawings .-Figure l is a diagrammatic plan view representing a running gear frame made up of two substantially triangular parts, the motor, driving -connections and wheels being indicated. Fig. 2 represents in side elevation the running gearframe shown in Fig. 1, and, Fig. 3 is a detail view of a form of con# The other part of the frame supports or includes the axle D upon which are mounted the independent pivoted steering wheels C. Each part of the frame, as shown, spreads from its connection at one end, to a wide or double connection to the axle at the other end, being essentially triangular `in that it has three points of support or suspension, one at its apex where connection with the other part of the frame i's effected andthe other two in a line which forms the base of the triangle and corresponds with or is parallel with the axis of the driving wheels, butin actual form it may depart more or less from a triangle so far as its side members are concernedl Whenever, therefore, mention is made hereinafter of a triangular frame it will be understood that such mention is made with reference to the arrangement of the points of support or suspension rather than the actual form.

In the form shown in the ldrawing both parts ofthe frame are triangular in form, the part D having as its base the relatively fixed axle D upon which are mounted the independent steering Wheels C, and being connected at its apex d to the axle E of the driving wheel i C at a single point. The said axle E forms the base oi the other part E which is likewise connected at its apex e to the axle D also at a single point. The part E of the frame supports the motor A, driving wheels C and driving connections B in the same relations under all conditions and is itself rigid and unyielding. The form of connection between the two parts, at d and at e, may be of any suitable character which will afford flexibility in a vertical plane, that is, which will permitrelative oscillation of the two axles about a longitudinal, horizontal axis. It may consist, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, of a socket f carried by one part and engaged by a head f carried by the other part. In this form the two parts D and E the one overlapping the other, are arched in opposite directions, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, in order to prevent interference between theV two parts as the two axles are relatively displaced in parallel, vertical planes to enable the wheels to adapt themselves to a warped or uneven road surface. The axle D which supports the independent steering wheels is held iromdisplacement in a'horizontal plane by the-side members of thepart ot the trame to Which it belongs. This construction oi' therunning gear frame particularly aHords a convenient Way ov mounting and supporting the motors. For instance, it is sometimes very desirable to have the. motors/ mounted With their axes Vin the same horizontal plane as the rear axle, and, upon reference to Fig. 2, it Will be seen clearly that the springing or arching of the two reach members D/- andiE permitthe motors to be mounted in this Way. In mounting the motors they are preferably supported from the side members of the reach E and from .the rear axle, the pivot'don the other reach D/ being'connected to the axle .E Vat a point between the'motors. lt' will be observed tha-tz'infthisl double triangular frame there is a central longitudinal line which Will have at all points ar minimum ofdis-4 placement relative to the bodyY Whic-hmaybe superJ imposedzupon the running gear frame, and that vthe motor controlling devices, brake operating ydevices and steering mechanism, all ot which must be operated from the body ofthe vehicle, can be disposed as desired ,along such linel Without being materially affected by relative movement oi the body and runninggear;

Various modifications of the general `form oftheimproved-.running geanframe Will'readilysuggest them-y selves in view oi :the foregoing, and it is therefore to be understood thatthis invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsfshoWn.

L'claim as my invention3- 1. In av motorA vehicle vhavingr forward .andl'rearraxles and in which the forward. axle` is provided with independent pivoted steering `Wheels, a pair of reach members intermediate the axles maintaining said'axles in parallelism, one'of'said reach members-engagingby` a horizontal pivot connection the front axle and spreading to a double connection with the rear axle, and the other reach member engaging by a horizontal pivot connection the rear axle and spreadingto a double connection with the front yaxle, said horizontal pivot connections having their axes 4arranged substantially in the planes of said axles and with the other reach connections.

2. In a'motor vehicle, the combination with a running gear frame comprising axle members and a pair of vreach .members one of said reach members engagingby `a pivot connection the rear axle, and the other ofsaid'reach members engaging the front axle and spreading to a double connection with the rear axle, of a motor detachable without the disconnection of the reach member and axle supported from the rear axle and one of the reach members and disposed between that reachmember and saidpivot connection on the other reach member.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a running gear frame comprising axle members and a pair-of'reach' members, one offsaid reachmembers engaging hya pvot connection .the rear axle, and the other ofsaid reach members engaging the front axle and having two side members which form a double connection with the rear axle, of 'two motors detachable without'the.disconnection of vaxles'and reach members and supported each from the side'members, respectively, and the rear axle, said pivot'connection on the other` reach member being connectedto the rear axle at a point between the motors.

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a running gear-frame comprising axle'members maintainedin parallelism by'reachesand apair of :reach members having all their connections in substantially the same plane, said reach members sprung out of the plane of the axle members, of a motor mounted upon said frame with its axis in the saine horizontal plane as said axlemembers.

This specification signedand .witnessed .this 2nd day' of September, A. D., 1003.4

HARRY* M. POPE.`

In the presence ofe- F. C. Ross, HERMANN F. CUNTZ.l 

